The Horde
Once a peaceful shamanistic race, they are now a ravenous war machine fueled by the machinations pf the Burning Legion whose intent was using the Orcs to exterminate the Draenei. It was created through the manipulations of the Burning Legion, in particular, Kil'jaeden the Deceiver, to act as the perfect puppet for their demonic masters and to serve them unquestioningly. History The Horde's history begins in hellfire, when the shaman Ner'zhul was contacted by an extraplanar being called Kil'jaeden. Ner'zhul was tricked (much like the night elves had been) into thinking that Kil'jaeden was a spirit. Though he had dedicated much of his life to balance and nature, Ner'zhul was lulled by the archdemon's offers of power and was convinced to abandon his teachings in favor of a new path: that of the warlock. The consequences were dire. Once he had learned the basics of manipulating this new infernal magic, his fame grew. Others soon abandoned the old ways to follow his new, quicker path to the manipulation of the natural world. It took years before Ner'zhul realized his error. By this time he had convinced many to follow his dark path, and the orcs waged war against the draenei. Ner'zhul helped in the first efforts to unify the Horde into a cohesive unit, but when he saw what had become of his race — and what it was still becoming — he denied Kil'jaeden. He refused to compel the orcs to drink demon blood. Kil'jaeden, furious, found a new pawn in the form of Gul'dan, one of Ner'zhul's strongest apprentices, who shared none of his master's honor or compassion. Where Ner'zhul had been held back by a lingering feeling of guilt and regret, Gul'dan's greed and ambition allowed him to grow even more powerful and cruel than his former master. He became Kil'jaeden's instrument of destruction on Draenor, leading the newly founded Horde to levels of brutality never previously conceived of by the orc race. He did not have Ner'zhul's compunctions, and convinced the orcs to drink the blood of the demonic pit lord Mannoroth the Destructor, which irrevocably tainted the orcs who consumed it. The orcs, the traditional "fathers" of the Horde, slaughtered the few other creatures living on their world and turned to fighting each other; at this point, the only race they might have called allies was the ogres. At this point in time, only the single-headed ogres existed - massive, single-minded warriors who served as little more than walking siege engines for the orcs as they plundered and conquered. With their aggression heightened by demon blood, the orcs easily overpowered the draenei. The ensuing slaughter united the orcs under a single mantle for the first time; thus, the Horde was born. Gul'dan continued to influence the Horde from the sidelines, but he still desired yet more power and influence. To this end, with Kil'jaeden's assistance, he founded the dreaded Shadow Council. The Shadow Council was a collection of the most vicious warlocks the Horde had to offer. United, these warlocks found it easy to bend the orcs of the Horde - leaders and peons alike - to their will. The overwhelming majority of the Horde did not even know of the Shadow Council's existence, and this covert existence was the Council's greatest strength. Kil'jaeden, now satisfied with the orcs, cut off contact with them and with Gul'dan. Without significant enemies to fight, the orcs turned on each other. Gul'dan realized that unless he found a new enemy for the Horde, it would consume itself. Soon after this, Gul'dan was contacted by a powerful being known as Medivh, a possessed human mage, offering a world called Azeroth that was ripe for the picking. Medivh even created a Dark Portal connecting the two worlds. Gul'dan orchestrated the orcs to bring their army, the now-massive Horde, through the portal. The construction and use of the first Dark Portal marked the beginning of the Horde's invasion of Azeroth, and thus the start of the First War..... Territories and Outposts *Black Morass - A massive swamp where most Humans don't even go. Always foggy and the land unable to be tamed. **Stonard - One of the first Orcish towns established **Rockard - The brother town of Stonard, more of fortress and hidden. **Dreadmar - A large fortress constructed by the Orcs and it houses most of the army. Notable Leaders * Gul'dan (Slain by Lohn'kosh and Thorgrim) * Blackhand (Slain by Orgrim Doomhammer) * Orgrim Doomhammer